


what it takes to be a knight

by Anonymous



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Doctor Who Fusion, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Doctor Who!AU, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Jaime and Brienne's first time travel adventure, Slow Burn, crack-fic taken seriously, this is NOT rhaegar friendly yall not one ounce, this is not Rhaegar friendly
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-05
Updated: 2019-11-05
Packaged: 2021-01-23 18:55:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21325009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Brienne brings Jaime to a part of the past he's always wanted to visit and Jaime encounters a chance to meet his childhood hero Arthur Dayne only to be pulled in headfirst into the chaos of everything that ensues at the Tourney of Harrenhal.And all the while, Jaime can't stop suspecting that his companion Brienne ismorethan what she says she is.
Relationships: Arthur Dayne/ Elia Martell (background), Jaime Lannister/Brienne of Tarth
Comments: 6
Kudos: 23
Collections: Anonymous





	what it takes to be a knight

**Author's Note:**

  * For [remadora_ftw](https://archiveofourown.org/users/remadora_ftw/gifts), [samueltanders](https://archiveofourown.org/users/samueltanders/gifts).

> I want to thank remadora_ftw for giving me the idea that Brienne's callsign should be "the Knight" instead of the Doctor and I loved it instantly. And also samueltanders for honestly inspiring this whole series because without her i dont think this would've been a series at all, so thank you so much!!

He’d only ever heard of time travel in theory. Had not expected it to smack him in the face with it’s realness as he peeked outside the doors of Brienne’s blue box. The crowd wearing garbs that dated to ancient, buildings that had fallen to dust in his time, now standing tall. Some yet to come still. The strangeness of it smacks him in the face almost as much as his excitement does. He’s in the Age Of Heroes, nursing a quiet hope deep inside him that maybe he can also be one too.

But as much as he’d have liked to, Jaime doesn’t fight at the Tourney of Harrenhal. Brienne reminds him that metal armour is too heavy for him to carry, and he doesn’t know how to ride a horse or even use a sword to which he pouts exaggeratedly.

“You’ll get yourself killed...” she says.

“That’s the plan!” he retorts, realizing with a pang how much he _ means _ it.

Somehow Brienne seemed to know it too. Her blue _ blue _ eyes falter for a second, before rising to his face a determined glare.

“You can watch.” she said as she shrugs into her long-coat and pulls him by the arm. His _ruined_ arm. “Maybe next time you come visit you’ll be prepared to fight.” she says carelessly, like there _will_ _be_ a next time. Warmth radiates from where her fingers rest on his arm and echoes in the cavern of his ribs. The touch surprises him too much to put up any resistance, so he tumbles behind her, following at her heels as they exit her _bigger-on-the-inside_ blue box, tucked into a corner of a stable.

They spend the day watching hedge-knights and royal folk alike, speeding past in high horses and fighting in the field, with lances and swords and morningstars. _ I’ve always wanted to be a knight, _he thinks bitterly as he watches with naked envy as some lads get knighted. It itches where his right hand used to be. He gets jealous too, when first an apple-seller and then a blacksmith calls Brienne ‘the Knight’ and it carries no mockery in it, just respect. He also doesn’t understand the quizzical look some give him.

“How do they know you?” he asks, scratching his beard. He’ll have to trim that soon, he’s let it grow out so much it hides half his face and in this heat, it makes him itch and sweat. Lose strands plastered across his forehead, dripping with sweat reminds him that he hasn’t had a haircut either. He’ll need to have a shower. Or a bath. Whichever they have here.

“I suppose I’ve been here before,” she shrugs, thinking hard. Her voice is almost wistful when she smiles, “Yes, just once.” before turning to the apple-seller and asking some questions about the duels and tourney events before turning to Jaime and saying, “I was here. Three days ago, apparently. With a,” she hesitates only a smidge, “…friend.” There’s more to her eyes and that is what eggs Jaime on. 

“A _ friend _?” He wiggles his eyebrows at her, thoroughly amused with her reddening face as she just glares at him.

“Oh, shut up!” she hisses and there’s a gleam in her eyes that warns him that it might be a sore spot for her. So he latches onto the next safest thing to say.

“And you’re a knight?” he asks instead.

“_ The _ Knight” she clarifies, making her way through the thoroughfare again, “where I’m from… it’s a rank of prestige. We’re encouraged to let go of our names after.”

“But you told me your name.” he frowns. He was sure she had told him, he could never have imagined such a name, had never heard of it until she came along. It’s unique to her alone and he can’t imagine anyone else sharing it.

_ Brienne _. It suits her perfectly.

She cranes her neck then, meeting his gaze over her shoulder, “I did.” she says with a tone of finality, laced with some sadness he couldn’t place, before finding them seat in the stands to watch the jousts.

The fights are glorious, bloody and funny sometimes. Jaime stays at the edge of his seat, watching intently as the riders steady their lances and run at each other, he laughs when some fool in gilded armour falls and gets his helmet dented and stuck to his head. He watches in unified shock as the King Rhaegar himself puts the crown of love and beauty on the head of a girl who looks no more than fourteen when his wife is _ right _ there.

He dines on hard bread at the tavern and poor ale, watches longingly as young boys get knighted, rues his ruined hand and listens to the exaggerated stories told by the fire, the ones on their way to be myths and legends, as he does the ones that are just as likely to be forgotten in the fog of time. He listens as everyone talks of how King Rhaegar crowned a child from the North 'queen of love and beauty’. _ That’s messed up _, he whispers to Brienne again, just as he had when they had witnessed it first hand. Brienne nods, just as she had last time too, clearly perturbed.

But no sooner, he is distracted again, from the wine and revelry to a man tall and purposeful. He nearly swoons when he realizes that Ser Arthur Dayne has just _ walked _ past him nonchalantly.

“He’s my childhood hero” Jaime breathes, watching him disappear into the King’s tent, “we have to follow him”

Brienne’s face, still dour from the tale of Rhaegar and the young girl, lights up instantly, “you’re right” she says absently and lets him pull her away from the campfire and towards the back of the royal tent.

They can hardly make out voices from beyond the thick fabric of the tent but Jaime’s eyes widen in horror as he hears muffled voices arguing and among other things he isn’t supposed to hear,Rhaegar’s plan to steal away Lyanna Stark.

“What the fuck” Jaime mouths as Brienne stares back at him, worry wrot on her face. She bites down on her lip and says almost inaudibly, “we shouldn’t interfere…”

“Is he going to hurt her?” he tries to remember his history lessons and draws up short. Tension leeches reason from him.

“We have to…” he starts to say and Brienne finishes that sentence almost like she could read his mind, “…warn her.”

A silent nod is exchanged but as they rise to make their way away from the tent, the sharp cool tip of metal touches the back of his neck. So engrossed were they in eavesdropping that neither of them heard the squelch of the mud and grass below their intruder’s feet.

Ser Arthur Dayne holds a sword at Jaime’s neck and Jaime can feel his own pulse beat steady and rhythmic against the cool blade. Brienne’s eyes widen in hopeless panic.

“We only want to talk!” she says, raising her hands on either sides of her head in surrender, her eyes frantic and fighting for calm (and missing by a mile), _ “ _ _ let him go and we can talk.” _

“Explain yourself,” Arthur Dayne says in a low voice, “_ now. _”

“This is not what it looks like” Jaime says, trying to wiggle out of his grasp but Arthur Dayne’s blade only presses down harder against the side of Jaime’s neck. He swallows nervously and Brienne watches as a single drop of blood trickles down the length of his throat.

“From what it looks like, you are eavesdropping on King’s private conversations.” Arthur’s eyes flit from Jaime to Brienne, “Assassins? Is that what you are? Who sent you?”

“We’re not assassins, Ser Arthur” Brienne says, gesturing to Jaime, “let him go.”.

“How much did you overhear?” he asks and Jaime wonders briefly if Brienne is going to lie. He wonders how it’ll bode for the blade at his throat.

“We heard enough,” Brienne yields.

“Then you must understand why I can’t let you go.”

“And here I thought you were the most honourable knight in the Seven Kingdoms,” Jaime grimaces, his mouth running ahead of him, “you are going to cut down unarmed civilians, Ser Arthur?”

Arthur falters for a breath before steeling himself, “A kingsguard does what he must to protect his King.”

“Your _ king _ plans on stealing away a child and only gods know do _ what else _ with her. He discarded _ his queen _ at the tourney and yet you—”

“We mean no harm to the King.” Brienne interrupts, glaring sharper at Jaime than the dagger at his throat, “On my honour, we mean it. We will be gone before first light.”

“No!” Jaime says, startling both of them, “we can’t just leave Lyanna Stark to—Brienne, she’s a little girl! How can any of you be okay with this! Rhaegar discarded his wife in front of everyone and now he’s planning to kidnap and impregnate a young girl and run away with her? Won’t her family come looking for her? Won’t it mean war? Hundreds will suffer! How can you stand for this, Ser Arthur! Is that what your honour is worth? Blind loyalty?”

Arthur’s hold on Jaime suddenly loosens and Jaime staggers forward in his surprise. When he turns back to look at Arthur, the man’s face is a battlefield of warring emotions. “You don’t understand,” he says.

“It is my duty as Kingsguard to serve and protect the King!” Arthur continues, “and that includes guarding his secrets, his actions with my life.” _ Even when I may not agree with them _, Arthur doesn’t say it but it hangs in the air for all of them to hear.

“And what is your duty as a Knight, _ Ser? _” Jaime cannot believe he is talking to his childhood hero in such a scathing tone, cannot believe his words are the cause for such a wretched expression come over Arthur’s face.

“To serve and protect the innocent,” he says under his breath. Then he gulps, “Gods forgive me but I’m a knight first.” he sheaths his blade.

“You do not condone the King’s plans for Lyanna,” Brienne infers, to which Arthur shakes his head ever so slightly.

“Aye, so you did hear enough” Arthur looks at her then, glances at Jaime and then back at her, “Come with me, the two of you. There is much to discuss.”

—

Jaime would suspect he’s being led into a trap, but quite true to his word Arthur leads them to his own tent. He sits down there, with parchment and ink and scribbles out a hasty note.

“Take this to the Stark camp,” he says, handing the scroll to Brienne, “there isn’t much time, Rhaegar intends to steal her away tonight, you have to warn Rickard and Brandon before he does.” His purple eyes are glowing when he says softly, “Save the girl.”

“And what will you do?” Jaime dares to ask.

“If the King fails with Lyanna he will come to Queen Elia and…” His eyes blaze with a controlled fury just then, “he is not kind to her. I will protect her. Go.”

“We will do what we can” Brienne assures Ser Arthur before tucking the scroll into her long-coat.

Ser Arthur's eyes linger on Jaime's for just a second too long before turning to Brienne, "On your honour, do you swear it?" he asks the both of them.

"I swear it" Brienne says unflinchingly and Arthur's gaze returns to Jaime. Even though he's been called 'a man without honour' so many times before, all of that ceases to matter for a moment.

“I swear it” Jaime says, his voice tight but firm with the promise. He will do whatever it takes to protect the girl, even if he’s got one hand and no sword. It feels like a purpose much greater than himself. A knight’s quest. 

“I swear it” he says again, much softly to himself.

When his eyes meet Brienne’s he realizes she’s looking at him peculiarly again, with an air of pride and… _ something _ he can’t place. Her eyes are too full, too knowing. It makes his heart swell but he can’t help but wonder if she has more secrets than she’s letting on. _ What does she hide in those impossible blue eyes? _He can’t look away.

“Time is off the essence,” Arthur’s voice breaks his reverie and Jaime makes himself face his childhood hero once again. The man gives them a curt nod, “Godspeed. Go.”

—

“What aren’t you telling me?” he demands as they exit Arthur’s tent.

“What?”

“There’s something… you _ know _ something” He sounds more accusing than he intends to.

She snorts, “sure” she says, shrugging with an air of easy nonchalance. But the fact that she doesn’t meet his eyes when she does it is what gives her away.

—

"That's quite a speech you gave Arthur" she says as Jaime matches her stride. Then she adds softly, "I thought he was going to kill you, Jaime." Then she turns to him and says sharply, "he could've killed you! Did you have to go off like that?"

"Like what?" he feigns innocence, watching anger bloom red on her face-- something that has quickly become his favourite reaction to evoke from her. She cares about him, he realizes. He bites his lip to stop his smile.

"Stop smiling!" she huffs, "what are you looking all smug for!"

"Nothing," he can't stop smiling still, "but hey it worked, didn't it? He cooperated."

"He could've killed you" she sulks, walking ahead of him.

"Is that why you surrendered? Told him we'd leave? Because you were afraid he was going to kill me?"

"And you'd get your death wish, wouldn't you?" she lengthens her stride but Jaime has no trouble keeping up.

"We couldn't leave Lyanna, Brienne."

"Of course we couldn't!" she looks at him like what he said is preposterous, "We weren't going to abandon her! I told him we'd leave before first light. I expected that we'd save her long before then!"

A helpless smirk lights up Jaime's face, "are you telling me you lied? to save me?"

"I didn't lie!" her face is redder than ever, "I just told him a truth he wanted to hear, I didn't make a promise I would break!"

"Then what are you all red for?"

"Because I didn't enjoy it! Having you at sword-point, Jaime! Telling twisted truths and worrying if it's be enough to save you, you always do this and I don't enjoy it!"

Something about what she said draws him up short, "what do you mean _I always do this?_ I haven't done this before."

He watches as she catches herself, her eyes going wide before turning to him, calm and collected, "you have been reckless from the moment we got here, with wanting to fight and die and what not. I'm trying to keep you alive, remember. One adventure. Then you're free. Anyway, I think we should talk to her first, Lyanna.” Brienne babbles as they approach the Stark camp, "Lyanna should the first to know, don't you think?"

Jaime wants to ask her more questions because she is not a good liar. He can tell she's hiding something, but it's not the time. They have to save Lyanna Stark.

“But Arthur said—” Jaime starts but Brienne interrupts him.

“I know what he said!” her voice is low, head bowed for discretion, “but if Rhaegar is trying to convince Lyanna to run away with him, shouldn’t she know first? She’s young, he’s preying on her. I feel like she should know first.”

Jaime thinks it over for a couple of heartbeats, his mind too filled with questions he can't form. “okay, you’re right” he concedes, “If we can settle this quietly then maybe Elia Martell won’t have to suffer Rhaegar’s wrath.”

—

But it doesn’t happen quietly.

When they sneak into Lyanna’s tent, evading the guards and Jaime cursing at ‘how crap the security system is’, the tent is empty.

“Maybe it’s too late” Brienne breathes, her face pale and eyes wide, mirroring the terror Jaime feels inside.

“We have to warn the Starks” Jaime manages to say and they’re turning to leave the tent when a young girl walks in, sees the two of them and instantly makes a run for it.

She’s a shifty little thing, running fast and eager to shake them off but Jaime is good at pursuit and Brienne is clearly attuned to him so well that when he goes left, she goes right and they manage to trap the girl as Brienne snatches at her hand and shushes her from her panic.

The girl tells them her name is Pia and she is only a servant girl, come to check if Lyanna is back yet. Which is how, despite her reluctance, through reassurances and gentle touch, Brienne manages to coax information out of the girl regarding where Lyanna has escaped to.

“It’s the clearing north of the woods, sire. She took her bow and she told me to prepare her bath when she returns!” the girl’s voice is shaken with fear.

She doesn’t know much more besides, so Brienne releases her, “Go.” she says, and the girl doesn’t waste another breath, sprinting away the very second before the word has left Brienne’s lips.

“We don’t have much time,” Jaime warns and starts to run into the forest when Brienne catches his arm and says, ‘this way!” and mounts a horse like it’s the easiest thing to do.

“Come on!” she says, “get on the horse!”

“I don’t know how to!” Jaime throws his hands in the air.

“Right!” she says, like she’s suddenly realizing something and then Jaime could swear, could swear he heard her mumble to herself, “not yet” before she shows him the stirrups and gives him her hand and pulls him up to sit behind her.

“All good?” she asks as Jaime tries to adjust to the feeling of a live animal between his legs.

He reaches and places his fingers and stump on either sides of Brienne’s waist to keep himself from falling. She's warm and his fingers cling to her strong muscles, “Yes, all good.” 

And then the horse neighs and it’s air whipping against his face like nothing he has ever felt before.

—

There’s a sound of hooves in the distance and that’s how they are sure that they are too late. “Hyah!” Brienne shouts and the horse is racing through the dark of the woods, giving Rhaegar’s horse close chase. They can see Lyanna’s hair sway in the wind, Rhaegar shielding her from view. Jaime’s hand instinctively goes to his waist, for his glock that isn’t there. With a hand that isn’t there. Fuck.

“Shit!” Brienne swears, “Shit we’re too late!”

“No we’re not” Jaime says furiously, hard-pressed to think quick. An idea strikes him and he makes for it. His aim with his left hand isn’t what it could be with his right, but he makes do. And the very next second, Jaime’s left boot collides with the side of Rhaegar’s head. He grunts and is thrown off kilter for a few seconds, giving Brienne’s horse a chance to clinch the distance.

“Did you just throw _ a shoe _ at the King?!” Brienne’s voice is tilting on incredulous.

Jaime replies, “damn right I did!” and then Brienne’s laughter rings in his ears and shakes her shoulder and oh how he loves the sound of it. He can’t help but laugh along.

—

They do stop Rhaegar. A few miles east of Harrenhal, after a violent tussle, Rhaegar is thrown off the horse while Brienne grabs a sleeping Lyanna. Jaime doesn't let Rhaegar reach for his sword. He pounces on the man and single handedly manages to break Rhaegar’s nose with his punches. He suffers bloody knuckles and a skin-deep knife-wound to his shoulder in the process while the King shouts and curses at them, saying they will be hanged, flayed, burned.

Jaime is in the process of pulling Rhaegar to his feet after having bound his hands together and take them back to Harrenhal when an unexpected troop of Stark soldiers comes hot on their heels.

"Well met!" Jaime shouts, hoping its something people say in these times and follows it up with a confident, "who goes there!"

“Grab them!” Rhaegar shouts as the men surround the four of them, “these assassins attempted to run away with Lyanna Stark! When they couldn't kill me they tried to take me hostage! Free your King!”

That very instant, Jaime and Brienne are kicked to their knees, spears bearing down on necks.

A man rushes past Brienne and grabs Lyanna, shaking her, trying to wake her up.

“What have you done to my sister!” the man growls, his hard hair falling over his face as he cradles his sister. “Tell them to get the Maester!” he shouts at a random henchman before turning to look at Jaime and Brienne with cold, hard eyes, “I will execute the kidnappers myself.”

—

**Author's Note:**

> i couldn't write the end tonight because I have to wake up early tomorrow. But I intend to finish it asap because cliffhangers are the bane of my existence, so I assure you I'll update this in a day or two!


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